We drove back to Melbourne yesterday, ready for our Sri Lanka pre-flight PCR test this morning – fingers crossed! This provided us with the opportunity to call in at the local park to do a bit more birding. With temperatures in the low 30’s most of the bush birds were well hidden but there were a few waterbirds out and about. We managed to increase our trip list by three: the aptly named Blue-billed Duck – the region’s only ‘stiff-tail’, Pink-eared Duck and Hoary-headed Grebe. A walk along Squeaky Beach on the Prom, prior to our departure yesterday, failed to produce the hoped-for Hooded Plover. We did however add Sooty Oystercatcher to our meagre trip list of waders. On the way to the beach a low-flying group of ‘needle-tails’ provided a rare Australian tick – Pacific Swift. Unfortunately we were on a ‘no stopping’ section of the highway. By the time we got back to the spot the bird had gone. Tomorrow, in a last-ditch attempt to find some shorebirds, we’ve planned a visit to Australia’s largest sewage works – the legendary Western treatment works at Werribee – nice!